Coin tester for automatic vending machines and the like



Oct. 1, 1929, 1,730,291

com TESTER FOR AUTOMATlC VENDING MACHINES AND THE LIKE H. RAKOWIVTZKY Filed April 4, 1929 1771 67? for:

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Patented Oct. 1, 1929 m caries HIRSCH RAKOWITZKY, F VIENNA, AUSTRIA, ASSIGNOB T0 WESTMINSTER SEGURI- TIES LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH CQMPAN Y COIN TESTER FOR AUTOIKA'IIC VENDING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Application filed April 4, 1929, Serial No. 352,535, and in Austria March 24, 1928.

into the automatic machine. This is effected V by the 'disc striking a spring which pro ects it between two teeth arranged opposite to each other and resiliently pressed towards each other. A stamped or minted coin will. be gripped by the teeth, whereas a smooth disc will slip through them. This proposed I com tester, however, is apt to be unreliable and is very complicated.

According to the primary feature of the present invention,the teeth are so arranged as to maintain a minted coin suspended, Wlth the raised rim of the coin gripped between the teeth, while the coin swings in its own plane about the teeth, and, because of such swinging movement, becomes disengaged from the teeth and passes into the automatic machine, but said teeth permit a smooth disc, without a raised rim, to pass straight through between them.

Thus the coin tester according to the present invention avoids a reversed movement of the coin such as is caused in the aforesaid prior proposal, and, instead, the coin is merely deflected sideways from its straight ath. P Other features of the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of example, 'a construction of a coin tester according to the invention.

In these drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation,

Figure 2 is a side elevation,

Figure 3 is a section on line AB of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a detail view.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

A strip 1 formed with a coin chute Z4 has a cover strip 2 so that the chute 7a is closed. At

their lower ends both strips 1, 2 are cut away at 3, and to the outside of each strip plates the teeth 10, 11 are normally in contactwith one another. The tension of the springslt, 15 may be regulated by means of set screws 8. The lower ends of the strips '1, 2 are cut back in bevelled formation at r at one side of the gaps 3, for a purpose to be hereinafter indicated. i

.In Figure 1 a minted coin 18 (viz a coin with a raised or upset rim and with portions of its faces in relief) isshown in two positions. The raised or upset rim is indicated in the drawing by the double line. A smooth 'disc 19 without such a rim is shown in the conduit 20 which is for rejects and which i I may return the disc to the outside of the machine; the conduit 21 conveys the coins 18 into the automatic machine.

If a correctly minted coin 18 is introduced into the coin chute is it will be gripped between the teeth 10, 11 and, because of its raised rim, will be suspended and will swing in its own plane about the points ofthe teeth (see the second position shown in Figure 1) until it strikes the bevelled edge or stop face 1'. Owing to the impact, it will bev disengaged from the points of the teeth and will drop into the'conduit 21.

A smot-h disc 19, however, will slide betweenthe teeth 10, 11 without being caught or gripped by them, and will drop into the reject conduit 20. It will be seen vthat the teeth 10, 11 are designed in such a manner that a tapered space (Figure 3) is left between them transversely of the direction in 1 which is the nearer to the teeth 10,11.

I claim 1. A coin tester for vending machines and the like for determining whether a coin is minted comprising two opposed teeth between which the coin is arranged to slide, said teeth being tapered to one side, means whereby said teeth are resiliently pressed towards each other, the teeth being arranged to maintain a minted coin suspended with the rais d rim of the coin gripped between the teeth, a coin chute having a shoulder at its lover end to one side of the opposed teeth, the parts being so constructed that the coin when held suspended by the teeth will swing in its own plane about the teeth and strike the shoulder of the chute thereby releasing the coin from the teeth and permitting :the coin to pass into the machine while a smooth disc without-a raised rim will pass straight through between the teeth.

' 2. A coin tester for vending machines and the like for determining whether a coin is minted, comprising two opposed knife edges between which thecoin is arranged to slide, said edges being tapered to one side, means whereby said edges are resiliently pressed towards each other, the edges being arranged to maintain a minted coin suspendedmwith the raised rim of the coin gripped between the knife edges and to permit the coin to swing in its own plane, a coin chute, means associated with the knife edges for engaging the coin when held suspended by the knife edges and when swung in its own plane about the knife edges thereby releasing the coin from the knife edges and permitting the coin to pass into the machine while a smooth disc without a raised rim will pass straight through between the knife edges.

3. A coin tester for vending machines and the like for determining whether ,a coin is minted comprising two opposed teeth between which :the coin is arranged to slide,said"teeth being tapered toone side means whereby said teeth are resilientlypressed towards each other, and a stop abutment in adjacentlocation to the teeth, which teeth are so, arranged as-to retain a minted coin suspended with the raised rim of the coin gripped bet-ween'the teeth, the parts being so constructed that'the coin when held suspended by vthe teeth will swing in its own plane about the teeth and strike the stop abutment, thereby releasing the coin from the teeth and permitting the coin to pass into the machine while a smooth disc without a raised rim will pass straight through between the teeth.

4. A coin tester for vending machines and the like for determining whether a coin is minted comprising two opposed teeth between which the coin is arranged to slide, said teeth being tapered to one side, a coin chute, means for resiliently pressing said teeth together, which teeth are so arranged in the chute as to maintaina minted coin suspended with theraised rim of the coin gripped between the teeth laterally of the center of the coin, thereby permitting the coin to swing in its own plane, and means associated with the teeth for disengaging the coin therefrom when held suspended by the teeth and swung in its own plane about the teeth thereby releasing the coin from the teeth and permitting the coin to pass into the machine while a smooth time without a raised rim Wlll pass straight through between the teeth.

5. A coin tester for vending machines and the like for determining whether a coin is mintedlcomprising two opposedteeth between which the coin is arranged 'to's'lide, means for resiliently pressing the teeth toward each other, the teeth being arranged to maintain a minted coin suspended with the raised rim of the coin gripped between the teeth, and to permit the com to swing n its own plane,

means associated with the teeth for disengaging a coin therefrom when held suspended by the teeth'and swung in its own plane about the teeth thereby releasing the coin from the teethand permitting the coin to pass into the machine, said teeth forming between them a taperedspace transversely of the direction in which the coin falls through the chute in order to deflect a smooth disc.

6. A coin tester for vending machines and the like for determining whether a coin is mintedncomprising an intake'coin chute, opposed teeth between which the coin is arranged to slide,-means for resiliently pressing said teeth towards each other, a chute leading to the machine and a return conduit, which teeth are so arranged in relation to the intake chute and the one leading to the machine as to maintain a minted coin suspended with the raised rim of the coin grippedbetween the teeth, a shoulder so associated with the teeth that the coin when held suspended by theteeth will swing in its own plane about the teeth and strike the shoulder thereby releasing the coin from the teeth :and permitting the coin topass intothe machine, said teeth being arranged to form between them a tapered space transverselyaof the direction in which the coin falls from the intake chute HIRSCH RAKOWITZ YQ 

